California has started building the world's largest urban wildlife crossing over a ten lane highway near Los Angeles on Route 101. The aim is to help animals roam freely and safely by linking the two sections of wildlife together.
Mountain lions usually roam large distances, therefore the crossing will help to protect them from oncoming vehicles and other road users. It will also help the isolated populations of lions to interbreed and hopefully boost population numbers.
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The construction reportedly costs a total of $87 million dollars, and will be one of the largest crossings in the world. Spanning across the bridge will be native plants and sound walls, covered in vegetation to protect the animals and other wildlife from any surrounding noise and light.
Other wildlife crossings have been shown to be hugely successful. According to Eco Watch, crossings located at Canada’s Banff National Park have helped to reduce accident rates between animals and vehicles by 90% - an impressive feat to say the least.
Hopefully, projects such as these can help both humans and wildlife to live in harmony with one another as we look towards the future.